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Installation Instructions

Pre-Installation Warranty

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!

It is the duty of the installer/owner, whether professional or DIY (do it yourself), to inspect all flooring before installation. If the installer or buyer feels the flooring is the wrong color, improperly manufactured, has finish problems, is off-grade or is the wrong gloss level, DO NOT install the flooring. Please immediately contact the retailer from which the flooring was purchased. No claim will be accepted for flooring which is visibly wrong if such product is installed. Wood is a product of nature not plastic, and standard industry practice allows for up to 5% of flooring shipped to have milling, handling, finish and/or grade defects. This warranty applies only to material in excess of this 5%, in additional to the industry standard 4~6% cutting waste.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the duty of the installer/home owner to judge the suitability of any piece for placement in a conspicuous area of the room. If you feel a piece is not suitable, either do not install it or install it in an inconspicuous place.

Product UseYour new engineered flooring products can be installed Above-Grade, On-Grade or Below-Grade. It may be glued down over a plywood or concrete sub-floor. It also may be simply nailed, floated, or stapled down over a plywood floor, using specially designed hardwood floor nailers or staplers.

Jobsite RequirementsAll work involving water or moisture should be complete before installing hardwood flooring. For any new construction or remodeling project, hardwood flooring should be one of the last items installed. The jobsite should be monitored for consistent, normal room temperature of 68 deg. F (20 deg. C) in winter and 74 deg. F (22 deg. C) in summer, and relative humidity of 35~55% for at least one week before installation. Relative Humidity of 35 – 55% must be maintained after installation. All your new engineered flooring should be kept in the shrink-wrapped boxes until immediately before installation. DO NOT remove from packaging and acclimate like solid hardwood floors! This can make the flooring very difficult to install. The boxes of wood should be placed in the area of installation long enough to get to room temperature. Our tolerances between the tongue and groove are so precise that any expansion of the tongue due to acclimation might make the T&G fit too tight for easy installation. DO NOT install in areas subject to moisture, such as bathrooms or laundry rooms. Although engineered plank flooring can be glued directly to concrete, see adhesive manufacturer's instructions regarding CONCRETE SEALER and follow them to ensure problem free installation and access to their glue warranty.

A "DRY" SLAB, AS DEFINED BY THESE TESTS CAN BE WET AT OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR. THESE TESTS DO NOT GUARANTEE A DRY SLAB.

We recommend WAKOL adhesive or equivalent.

All sub-floors must be flat, structurally sound and cleanThe maximum deflection tolerance is 3/16"(5mm) in a 10’ (3m) radius or 1/8” (3mm) per 6' (2m). If necessary, flatten out any irregularities using #20 grit paper and fill any low spots with leveling compound recommended by adhesive manufacturer. Prepare slab according to adhesive manufacturer's recommendation.

Wood sub-floors must be:Dry and well secured, with a moisture content under 12%.The bottom side, if facing outside (like a crawl space) must be under 14% MC and a 6-mil Polyfilm placed over the dirt in the crawl space. Adequate ventilation must exist, 1 ½% with clearance of 18" to 24”.Subfloor must be nailed down or screwed down every 6 inches along the joist to avoid squeaking. Leave 1/8" gap around perimeter of plywood sheets. Level by sanding or grinding down high spots and filling in low spots with an underlayment patch as necessary. Preferred subfloor: 3/4" CDX grade Plywood subfloor / underlayment (Exposure 1), 4' x 8' sheets or 23/32" OSB subfloor / underlayment grade, PS2 rated, sealed side down, with joist spacing of 19.2" on center or less.

Concrete sub-floor must be:Fully cured for at least 90 days.

The concrete must be high compressive strength. All concrete sub-floors must be tested for moisture content using the calcium chloride test. In case of a claim, the only acceptable, accurate test method for sub-floor moisture content is the calcium chloride test. The maximum moisture transfer must not exceed 3 lbs./1000 square feet with this test. If gluing down, consult adhesive manufacturer for proper slab preparation and suitability for your project.

DO NOT install over concrete if you are not sure it will remain dry.

Sheet vinyl must be:Well bonded and fully glued to the floor. Do not install over perimeter glued floors. This warranty does not apply if not fully and securely bonded to subfloor. DO NOT install over vinyl thicker than 1/8" or more than one layer of vinyl. DO NOT install over vinyl tiles. Consult adhesive maker about suitability if gluing down over vinyl floors – the wood flooring manufacturer does not warrant the adhesive. Follow adhesive maker's guidelines. Abrading of the vinyl surface might be necessary.

Preparing for installationUndercut or notch-out door casings to fit flooring underneath by placing a piece of flooring on the sub-floor as a height guide for sawing. Remove door thresholds and base moldings and replace after flooring installation. Always leave at least 3/8" expansion space between flooring and all walls and vertical objects.

Starting InstallationFlooring should be laid at right angles to the floor joists and, if possible, in the direction of the longest dimension of the room.

For a better appearance, wood flooring is normally laid parallel to the longest wall. However, professional installers should make the final decision in which direction the planks will run. If lying over existing wood floor, new wood floor should be installed at a 90 degree angle to the old wood floor. Most professional installers will begin installation next to an outside wall, which is usually the straightest wall and used as a reference point in establishing a straight working line. A good way to establish a working line is to measure an equal distance from the wall at both ends and snap a chalk line. Measure distance from the wall at the width of the plank plus another 3/8" for expansion space for establishing your working line. It is advisable to dry lay a few rows before actually using glue or nailing to confirm your directional layout decision and working line. Adjustment of the working line may be necessary if the outside wall or other working line reference is out of square. This can be done by scribe cutting the first row of planks to match the wall and creating a straight working line.

Your glue warranty comes from the adhesive manufacturer, not the floor manufacturer. Allow for adequate cross ventilation when working with flooring adhesive. Snap a chalk the proper distance away from starting wall (min 30”) Nail down a straight board against this line to use as your firm, straight base to start working from. As per adhesive manufacturers’ instructions, lay the first row of flooring with the groove facing the starting wall, butted up against your straight starting board. Continue laying flooring until adhesive is covered with flooring. Be careful not to move the installed floor on the wet adhesive. Use a tapping block to fit the planks together. When the first section is completed, continue by repeating process section by section. Immediately remove any adhesive that gets on the flooring surface by using a damp cloth or manufacture's adhesive remover. Damage to finish from dried on adhesive is NOT covered under warranty! Don't forget to stagger joints. After laying the large part of the room, remove the starting board and fill in remainder of the room used as your starting area. Wedge expansion spacers between wall and first row to keep floor tight until adhesive sets. Follow adhesive instructions regarding proper set time (if any) before affixing flooring planks. When required, use weights or straps to hold the flooring planks on the perimeter until the adhesive cures enough.

Finishing the JobRemove expansion spacers. Reinstall base and/or quarter round moldings to cover the expansion space. Install transitions pieces such as reducer strips and T-moldings as needed. DO NOT allow any foot traffic or heavy furniture for at least 24 hours or as indicated by adhesive manufacturer's instructions. Clean and remove all dirt and debris on floor by dust mopping or vacuuming. Follow floor care and maintenance guide to ensure longevity and lasting beauty of your new hardwood Floors.

Staples for ¾” products: 2” X1/2” crown 8” to 10” apart (20cm to 25cm) starting 2” from end of plank

A 1/8” (3mm) bead of urethane adhesive should be run on the bottom of the plank along the groove side of the planks and the grooved butt joints.

Acceptable sub-floors are the following:

5/8" minimum thickness, preferred 3/4" or thicker exterior plywood stamped by TECO or APA installed with long edges at right angle to floor joists and staggered so that end joints in adjacent panels break over different joists.

Moisture content is difficult to check with OSB, please check with OSB maker for proper testing method to ensure it is under 12% MC. New wood type sub-floors should be checked for moisture using a moisture meter. In general wood or plywood sub-plywoods should not exceed 12% moisture content, or 2% moisture content difference between hardwood flooring and sub-floor. Adequate and proper nailing as well as soundness of the subfloor should be ascertained. Foreign material shall be removed from the sub-floor surface and swept clean. The clean sub-floor should be covered, wall-to-wall, with 15-lb asphalt saturated felt or equal. Butt the edges of this felt when positioning it. Basement and crawl spaces must be dry and well ventilated. Crawl spaces must have a vapor barrier below sub-floor on ground (6-mil Poly).

General Installation Instructions (see NWFA at www.nwfa.org for more details)

All our wood Flooring products can be damaged during installation. It is important to make sure that the nail gun face plate will not damage the surface finish. 3M Blue tape can be placed on the faceplate to prevent damage. Keep face plate clean - the wood floor manufacturer cannot be responsible for scratching caused by abrasive material on nailer face plate.

Starting to lay flooring: Begin laying plank flooring at a right to the joists or along the longest straight wall with the groove side of the board against the wall. Face nail along the wall (counter sink and putty if not covered by trim) and blind nail in tongues. The second row normally will need hand nailing into the tongues as stapler probably cannot fit yet.

End joints of plank: These should be staggered to achieve the best appearance in the finished floor. (10” 0r 25cm for 5” products and 15” or 38cm for 7 ½”

Nailing schedule for flooring: Nail on 5” to 7" apart in the tongue, also nail within 2" of each end joint. The last few rows might require hand nailing and/or face nailing, countersinking, and filling with putty.

Molding Tip: Before installation, match the closest board in color and grain to the adjoining molding profile color and grain. Save the board(s) and use next to the molding piece.

Important Notes:

Baseboards should be installed so that their lower edge is slightly above the level of the finished floor but not nailed into the floor.